Smodur the Unflinching

Smodur the Unflinching

Race

Charr

Profession

Engineer

Location

The Command Core
(Imperator's Core)
Iron Legion Camp
(Grothmar Valley)
Legions' Alcove
(Drizzlewood Coast)
Umbral Grotto
(Drizzlewood Coast)

Organization

Iron Legion
United Legions

“

Deals I broker don't fail.

— Smodur the Unflinching

Smodur the Unflinching is the Imperator of the Iron Legion. He is burly and exceptionally muscular for his age, and carries the scars of a soldier's life. A veteran of many battles and a brilliant engineer and architect, he is responsible for many advancements that have increased the Iron Legion's strength and influence in Ascalon. As imperator, Smodur is among those who can interrogate, judge, and sentence prisoners of the Black Citadel. Smodur and Blood Legion Imperator Bangar Ruinbringer are both known to be vying for the mantle of Khan-Ur.

Smodur is killed by Ryland Steelcatcher during the charr civil war in Drizzlewood Coast. He is succeeded as Iron Legion Imperator by Mia Kindleshot.

Biography

Early years

As imperator, Smodur is a direct descendant of the original Khan-Ur. In the past, he served together with Aximus Steelcrusher on a tour of duty out on the Granite Front. At some point Smodur lost one of his eyes; rumors claim that he took out his own eye in order to intimidate his opponent, which may have earned him the epithet "the Unflinching." Smodur proved himself to be a just, determined and cunning imperator who often acted as a mediator in arguments between the three High Legions in Ascalon. Following the death of Ferro the Butcher, Tribune Bhuer Goreblade successfully petitioned Smodur to erect a statue in Ferro's honor in the Black Citadel.

During his tenure Smodur had to split his attention between incursions from the Flame Legion as well as the ever-present Ascalonian ghosts created by the Foefire, dividing his forces to deal with these threats. While he welcomed the presence of Ash Legion and Blood Legion reinforcements in Ascalon, he was well aware of the ambitions and ulterior motives of Imperators Malice Swordshadow and Bangar Ruinbringer and made it clear that the other two legions were just his guests while he would be in charge of the war effort in Ascalon.

As an architect and visionary, Smodur turned the Black Citadel into the famous Iron Legion capital it would be known as. He also deliberately left some of the ruins of the fallen Ascalonian capital of Rin intact as a reminder that charr forces had both prevailed over humans and reclaimed a land the charr had deemed to be their home.

Smodur was considered by some to be the most progressive of all charr. Thanks in part to Tribune Mia Kindleshot's influence, Smodur became part of the truce faction of the charr and worked on the Ebonhawke Treaty with the humans upon receiving the Claw of the Khan-Ur which a Vigil group led by Dougal Keane and Ember Doomforge had retrieved from Ascalon City at the suggestion of Queen Jennah, General Almorra Soulkeeper and Imperator Malice Swordshadow in 1324 AE. When Ambassador Steelcrusher volunteered to be the head of the Iron Legion's delegation for the truce negotiations at Summit Peak, Smodur accepted his offer as the two charr knew each other well.

While seemingly acting purely out of noble interest to promote peace between the two races, Smodur was also using the opportunity provided by the ceasefire to forge a stronger alliance with humans as a means to strengthen his position as imperator in Ascalon. A few charr considered Smodur's forward-thinking to be dangerous while others believed that his truce with humans was simply a temporary measure in order to become the ruler of all charr. However, despite the Iron Imperator's conflicting reputation, at least some charr under his command believed in his vision as long as it led to less fighting in the future.

Since the truce negotiations began, Smodur pulled the charr forces back from the gates of Ebonhawke and allowed humans to settle outside the stronghold's walls peacefully. However, some charr in the Iron Legion did not approve of Smodur's orders, from soldiers all the way up to Tribune Fume Brighteye. Some charr across the legions defied their superiors' orders and continued fighting on as Renegades while a warmongering faction of humans became known as the Separatists around the same time.

By the Iron Imperator's decree, non-charr races were permitted to enter the Black Citadel, and human prisoners held in the Gladium Canton were set free and permitted to live as plebeians in the Citadel if they chose to stay. While Smodur was known for his progressive ideas and being willing to listen to charr who were attempting to develop new inventions and weapons for the High Legions to use, Iron Legion soldiers under his command did their best to be diligent as they did not want to suffer the imperator's wrath.

Following Smodur's acquiring of the Claw of the Khan-Ur, rumors ensued whether he would use the Claw to further his own influence over the High Legions to become the new Khan-Ur, or if he was hoping to see the ancient artifact, and therefore the legacy of the Khan-Ur, destroyed. He kept the Claw intact, however, and displayed it on his desk in the Imperator's Core by 1325 AE. Smodur and Bangar both vied for the title of Khan-Ur although neither made a move against the other while they had to focus on other threats to charr interests such as Ascalonian ghosts, Flame Legion, Branded, and ogres.

Personal story

In 1325 AE, Smodur received reports of the development of the Ghostbore Musket project headed by a particular Legionnaire who had survived the Battle of Smokestead against an invading force of Ascalonian ghosts. When the Legionnaire accidentally approached Smodur while searching for Tribune Bhuer Goreblade to deliver a report on the project's progress, the Iron Imperator harshly reminded the Legionnaire where to look for Bhuer's quarters.

As the weeks progressed, Smodur recognized the efforts of various Legionnaires who had successfully performed a field test of anti-ghost weaponry, thwarted a Flame Legion assault on the Black Citadel, and assassinated the Flame Legion spymaster Trybulus Griefblade, respectively. The Iron Imperator wrote letters in which he congratulated the responsible parties and promised to watch their progress in the legions with great interest.

Later that year, Smodur was informed of a new Flame Legion assault led by Shaman Mergath Flarekin. He gave one of the Legionnaires and their warband, who had discovered the plot, the honor of fighting alongside him and Tribunes Bhuer Goreblade, Rytlock Brimstone, and Torga Desertgrave. After a fierce battle, they defeated the shaman and his forces who had successfully penetrated the Black Citadel's defenses. The Legionnaire's warband received a personal commendation from Smodur who had been impressed by their actions, and the warband was likewise impressed by the imperator's bravery. Smodur also pointed out that the Legionnaire's sire, the atoning Flame Legion defector Clement Forktail who had helped the Legionnaire uncover Flarekin's plans, had redeemed himself with his intel and actions.

Living World Season 1

As imperator, Smodur presided over the defense quorum held in the Black Citadel's Command Core where high-ranking officers from the three High Legions convened to discuss the threat posed by the Molten Alliance which had been assaulting settlements and kidnapping people in Ascalon and the Shiverpeaks in 1326 AE. The Molten Alliance was eventually driven back by the Pact Commander, Braham Eirsson and the gladium Rox, and the charr remained vigilant for future acts of aggression.

Living World Season 2

The Dragon's Reach: Part 1

Smodur and Rox witness Rytlock Brimstone's Foefire cleansing ritual attempt in Barradin's Vaults.

While gathering notable Tyrian leaders for a summit in the Grove to discuss the growing threat posed by the Elder Dragon Mordremoth in 1327 AE, the Pact Commander was tasked by Rytlock to help him alleviate the burden of Smodur's concern over the Foefire so that the Iron Imperator may attend the summit. Smodur showed apprehension at Rytlock's mission to cleanse the Foefire with an ancient ritual with the sword Sohothin and King Adelbern's crown, and called it a fool's errand. Despite his initial misgivings, however, he nevertheless accompanied Rytlock, Rox and the Commander to Old Duke's Estate as he was aware that Rytlock had accomplished seemingly impossible tasks before and was curious to see the ritual's outcome.

Although the attempted ritual diminished the number of Ascalonian ghosts, it did not cleanse the Foefire completely and temporarily opened a portal into the Mists where Sohothin fell into. When Rytlock entered the portal to chase after his sword which he knew was an integral part of the ritual, Rox tried to go after him before Smodur commanded her to stand down. The Iron Imperator agreed to attend the summit because the ghost problem, while not solved, was lessened by the group's efforts. He seemed confident that Rytlock would hold his own while trapped in the Mists, though Rox expressed worry. Before parting ways with the Commander and Rox, Smodur told them to send Rytlock to the Black Citadel to explain what he had encountered in the Mists if they reunited with Rytlock before he did.

The Dragon's Reach: Part 2

True to his word, Smodur attended the world summit where he voiced his concerns over dedicating soldiers and resources to combat Mordremoth when the charr already had many other threats such as ghosts and the Flame Legion to fight in Ascalon. After a brief debate with the Commander, however, he decided to participate in the discussions and listen to the other leaders' concerns out of respect for the Commander. However, the summit was interrupted by the sudden invasion of Mordrem led by the Shadow of the Dragon, which targeted the leaders and the Grove itself. After clearing the initial attack, the leaders were escorted to a portal cast by Kasmeer Meade which took them to safety to the lower level of the Grove while the Commander battled the Shadow of the Dragon which eventually fled.

Having witnessed the threat of the Mordrem first-hand, Smodur and his escorts stayed in the Grove to tend to the injured sylvari and help the denizens fight off the remaining Mordrem before they departed back to the Black Citadel. The Iron Imperator let the Commander know that he would have a strategy session with his tribunes to inform them of what had happened and then delegate one of his officers to work with the other races to assist the Pact in its war efforts against Mordremoth.

Smodur provided forces and supplies to the Pact who had built a forward base in Camp Resolve, sending many charr with Marshal Trahearne to the Heart of Maguuma to take the fight to the Elder Dragon in 1328 AE. The Pact airship Sword of Smodur was named after him.

Living World Season 3

Smodur eventually learned of the destruction of the Pact Fleet, Mordremoth's demise, and Rytlock's return. When Rytlock continuously ignored summons from the brass at the Black Citadel who wanted to know more about his time in the Mists and his new revenant powers, he was stripped of his rank as tribune and charged with dereliction of duty. Members of the Adamant Guard were dispatched to Rata Novus to bring Rytlock back by force if necessary in 1329 AE. Rytlock acquiesced peacefully when confronted, however, and followed the Adamant Guard escort to the Black Citadel where he attended a closed-doors meeting where Smodur was likely present. Following the questioning, Rytlock's rank was reinstated, and he was released from custody with the details of the meeting being classified.

Living World Season 4

In 1330 AE, the charr defended Ascalon from Awakened raiding parties which appeared out of strange portals. Smodur ordered the legions in Ascalon to stay on alert for subsequent Awakened invasion attempts.

In 1332 AE, Smodur sent Iron Legion forces led by Tribune Mia Kindleshot to Thunderhead Peaks to assist the Pact, the Elonian alliance and the Pact Commander's dragon ally Aurene in the fight against Kralkatorrik. According to Smodur, the Iron Legion, who had suffered from the Dragonbrand's effects, needed to be present for the Crystal Dragon's fall.

The Icebrood Saga

Prologue: Bound by Blood

Following Kralkatorrik's death in 1332 AE, Blood Legion Imperator Bangar Ruinbringer sent invitations to his fellow imperators as well as notable heroes such as General Almorra Soulkeeper and the Pact Commander to attend a rally meant for all the four High Legions, including an atoning Flame Legion splinter group led by Efram Greetsglory, in Grothmar Valley. Smodur attended the opening ceremony in person and watched as Bangar's Centurion Ryland Steelcatcher had a ritualistic fight against a captured Branded devourer at the Festival Promenade.

The event took an unexpected turn when a larger Branded broodmother and its minions invaded the arena upon the other devourer's death, forcing everyone present to defend themselves. Aurene, the Pact Commander's dragon ally who had replaced Kralkatorrik as an Elder Dragon, ended the fight by flying over the battlefield and Branding the broodmother, and created a crystal formation at the center of the arena much to everyone's surprise. The demonstration of Aurene's power rattled the charr, making many of them worried whether she could be trusted and if the Commander could keep her in line. Some charr, including Bangar, even believed that the Commander had used Aurene to flaunt their strength.

The Commander approached the imperators afterwards to assure them that Aurene was not threatening the charr. While visiting Smodur at the Iron Legion Camp, the Iron Imperator was curious about the Commander's new role as Aurene's champion and how the Commander had turned from killing dragons to hatching them from eggs. Despite voicing his worries, Smodur told the Commander how one of his legion's engines had broken down in transit due to Renegade sabotage and how he welcomed any help to speed up the repairs. The Commander assisted Smodur with the repairs, earning a chance for a lengthier conversation with him.

Smodur continued being skeptical about Aurene after having witnessed her Branding the promenade. When the Commander defended Aurene's actions and brought up Bangar's misgivings, however, Smodur pointed out his rivalry with the Blood Imperator and how the charr deserved a Khan-Ur who could truly unite the disparate legions, implying the best candidate to be himself. He also revealed how Bangar's views on charr future were outdated and the Blood Imperator had only signed the Ebonhawke Treaty because the Blood Legion could not afford a war with the other legions at the time due to other threats. Smodur also voiced out his desire to make the other imperators acknowledge his importance as a visionary.

The Commander's ally Marjory Delaqua eventually approached Smodur, Malice and Efram and informed them that Bangar and Ryland had rallied several dozen armed warbands across all legions, including the Renegades, and slipped from the Blood Keep into Shiverpeaks Pass under the cover of the festivities. The necromancer asked them to follow her so they could meet with the Commander and discuss Bangar's actions. They and Braham Eirsson eventually found the Commander, Rytlock and Blood Legion Tribune Crecia Stoneglow at the mountains as the worsening blizzard had prevented the trio from following Bangar and his rogue warbands deeper into the Far Shiverpeaks.

During the conversation the party figured out that Bangar viewed Aurene as a threat and was seeking to subjugate the Elder Dragon Jormag with Braham's stolen, fire-enchanted bow so the charr could have a counter for Aurene. Smodur revealed that he had suspected that Bangar had been up to something, but even he had not expected the party's purpose to be to poach the other legions' soldiers for Bangar's cause.

While talking with the Commander, Smodur viewed the defectors as no better than Renegades but promised to stay in the Blood Legion homelands to reassert command with the other legions so they could prepare for Bangar's return. When the Commander inquired whether Bangar's hand in increased Renegade activity would set the Ebonhawke Treaty back, Smodur pointed out that he would stay true to his word and honor the terms of the treaty with humans. He also revealed that he would try to mitigate the damage Bangar had caused, prepare for the future, and never underestimate a field veteran like Bangar again.

Around this time, the charr romance author Snargle Goldclaw's novel, The Ebonlocke Covenant, began circulating in charr circles. The novel depicted the relationships of charr and human characters alluding to Smodur, Bangar, and Jennah, with the author depicting the Smodur and Jennah stand-ins having romantic feelings for one another.

No Quarter

Ryland Steelcatcher delivers the Dominion's ultimatum to the United Legions leadership during the first parley.

Upon returning from his trip to Bjora Marches, Bangar spent his time spreading propaganda about his triumph over Jormag's champion Drakkar. He revealed his aspirations to create a charr empire and become Jormag's champion, intending to use Drakkar's death as proof that he alone could control the Ice Dragon as he believed that champions commanded the Elder Dragons. The rogue Blood Imperator won several battles against any charr forces that opposed him. He persuaded several warbands to follow his lead and defect from the rival legions, naming his new cross-legion faction the Dominion.

Ash and Iron Legions, as well as Efram's Flame Legion splinter group and Blood Legion insurgents led by Crecia Stoneglow, responded to Bangar's actions by pooling their forces into another cross-legion faction known as the United Legions in order to oppose the Blood Imperator. Although the United Legions were stretched thin on many fronts as they fought against the ever-growing Dominion, the imperators decided to lead a sizable contingent of troops to assault Bangar's latest base of operations in Drizzlewood Coast where the Blood Imperator was intending to awaken Jormag in 1333 AE.

However, Bangar held field advantage thanks to his many camps. He had his subordinate Ryland's Steel Warband keep the United Legions locked in battle until the Dominion pushed the legions all the way to Umbral Grotto. The Blood Imperator also had the Dominion plant listening devices throughout the coast to spy on the legions while also using his Minister of Morale, Varinia Stormsounder, to spread propaganda in order to sway legionnaires to defect to the Dominion. In response, Smodur embraced "battlefield justice" and gave orders to execute any Iron Legion defectors. While other imperators in the United Legions were not fond of Smodur's actions, they acknowledged that Smodur, as Iron Imperator, had the right to deal with defectors from his legion as he saw fit.

As a promoted Dominion tribune, Ryland proved to be a formidable commander and led his forces to victory, eventually offering the United Legions a chance to surrender and join the Dominion's side at his own discretion rather than executing them all outright. In the ensuing parley which the Pact Commander took part in, Smodur pointed out that Ryland had merely been lucky and that the tides of war were fickle so he might lose his advantage later as he was facing the greatest military leaders of the legions. Ryland claimed in turn that most of the Iron Legion had already defected to the Dominion and that the legions' defeat was inevitable. The sudden arrival of Seraph reinforcements led by Logan Thackeray and Kasmeer Meade made Ryland rescind his offer and return to the Dominion to continue the war, however, as he did not appreciate seeing humans fighting side by side with the High Legions.

Smodur voiced his appreciation of the help that Logan and Kasmeer provided, making Malice respond that the Iron Imperator's politicking was not needed in the warzone. The arguments between the two imperators and Crecia escalated as they debated on what approach to take. Smodur insisted that Malice abandon the forest and that they should focus the legions' full strength on taking the beach which he saw as strategically valuable. In his view proper war machines would be worth several dozen grunts and would help secure victory for the legions. The Commander tried to act as as a mediator, and Crecia ultimately convinced the rival imperators to work together and focus on combining their respective strengths to launch a successful counterattack.

While scouting the forest, Rytlock and the Commander eventually recovered intel pointing to the hidden base of the Steel Warband in the region. Deciding to take out Dominion officers to cripple the army's command structure, the two imperators, Crecia, and Efram joined Rytlock and Commander as they sneaked into the base. While Smodur had preferred a direct assault to quickly finish the officers off, Malice adviced caution as an assault would let the Dominion destroy intel which could prove to be valuable in future battles against Bangar's forces. By the time they located the door leading to the command center in the hideout, Smodur grew tired of sneaking around and charged in, ruining the element of surprise much to Malice's frustration.

The party encountered Ryland's right paw Cinder Steeltemper in the command center, and she battled them head on without fear. Despite her fierce resistance, Cinder was ultimately defeated. Smodur argued for executing Cinder on the spot to send a message to Ryland of an impending defeat, but Crecia argued for keeping Cinder alive and using her as a bargaining chip in a parley with hopes of making Ryland defect from the Dominion so the United Legions could use his intel and strength against Bangar. Smodur was dismissive of the idea, viewing the plan as naïve as to him all of the Dominion were irredeemable traitors.

Smodur tasked Rytlock and the Commander with creating a diversion while Malice got word to Ryland that Cinder had been captured. The tasks included retrieving torpedoes from crippled submarines for the legions' ordnance cache, destroying enemy vehicles so they could be salvaged for parts, as well as assembling a seized enemy weapon for later use. After the mission, the Iron Imperator gave the pair a crystal and ordered them to infuse it with a flame core when the Flame Legion shaman professed being too tired from casting all the spells to do it herself. On Smodur's orders, the shamans had been using their affinity with flame to infuse the Iron Legion ammunition—mostly for siege weapons—with literal firepower.

The Iron Imperator informed Rytlock and the Commander that Iron material had fallen under Dominion control and their weapons could not be allowed to be used against the legions. He tasked the pair with locating a concealed Dominion supply bunker and dropping the charged crystal down the vent to "destroy Dominion's ability to use Iron resources" against the legions. As soon as Rytlock and the Commander heard the explosion and the pained screams, however, they realized what they had done. The wreckage revealed that they had dropped a Searing crystal much to Rytlock's horror. They also found the corpses of Dominion engineers working on a weapon as well as an Ash Legion agent with orders to defect from Malice herself. Smodur admitted over comms that he saw people as a resource so he had been truthful in his correspondence even though he had kept key details of the bunker from the pair. Rytlock grew angry over being used while Smodur reminded the pair that they could not afford to get squeamish if they were to win the war.

Although Smodur had stayed in the safety of the camp throughout most of the campaign to coordinate United Legions forces while the rest of the charr leaders had been fighting on the front lines, he joined the fray for the final push towards the strategically important access point of Wolf's Crossing Bridge once the legions had captured key bases from the Dominion in southern Drizzlewood Coast. He fought alongside Crecia, Efram, Malice, Kasmeer and Logan as they defeated the remaining Steel Warband officers Nicabar Steelweaver, Ranoah Grindsteel, and Vishen Steelshot on the battlefield.

Shortly after, Malice received word that Ryland was willing to enter new negotiations for Cinder's life, and the legions set up a meeting in the former Steel Warband base between the legion leaders and Ryland. Efram angrily confronted Smodur upon learning that the Iron Imperator had used a Searing crystal which Efram considered a war crime. When Smodur justified his actions and said that Efram lacked a backbone, Efram threatened to kill him if he overstepped again. The Commander and Rytlock arrived in time to break up the fight, after which the party convened to escort Cinder to the rendezvous point. Smodur believed that there was no reason to negotiate with Ryland anymore after the United Legions had retaken all of southern Drizzlewood Coast. When Cinder boasted about her loyalty to her warband, Smodur shocked her by revealing that all her warbandmates had been killed except for Ryland. Ever defiant, Cinder tried to insult Smodur by claiming that he had not been as unflinching on the battlefield as he liked to think.

Smodur kills Cinder Steeltemper during the second parley with Ryland.

By the time Ryland arrived and began conversing with Crecia, Smodur voiced his suspicions when he saw that Ryland had not arrived alone despite being told to do so. The Iron Imperator grew increasingly frustrated at the back and forth between Crecia and Ryland as he viewed the negotiations to be a waste of time. When Ryland asked Crecia to release Cinder as a sign of good faith so he would consider joining the legions, Smodur had enough and stabbed Cinder fatally in the neck. Angered at his lover's death, Ryland attacked Smodur in rage, only to be blocked by a fire shield conjured by Crecia who needed the Iron Imperator alive.

Furious and hurt by his dam's choice, Ryland fled to the Wolf's Crossing Bridge, where a now-corrupted Varinia Stormsounder was waiting to ambush the group pursuing Ryland. The former Minister of Morale revealed that many Dominion soldiers had been corrupted into the Frost Legion who had then killed the United Legions' sentries to take back the bridge during the meeting between Ryland and the United Legions leadership. Although Varinia was ultimately killed in the ensuing clash after Smodur used his tank to provide artillery support against overwhelming Frost Legion reinforcements, Ryland had vanished from sight.

Fierce shellings from Dominion artillery ultimately forced Smodur and the rest of the Commander's party to retreat back to the former Steel Warband hideout to plan their next move. Crecia, Malice and the Commander blamed Smodur for the needless act of violence while the Iron Imperator justified his choice by claiming that he was not willing to make a compromise with traitors to win the war. In the ensuing conversation, Malice told Smodur that he would never be Khan-Ur and revealed that her agents had defected to the Dominion on her orders but she was no traitor; the would-be defectors were double agents who would deliver inside information on the Dominion's movements that the United Legions could use in the future.

Smodur used the battle's aftermath to write correspondences to Malice, Mia Kindleshot and his vocal but anonymous opponents in the Black Citadel. He addressed each of their concerns in return as he explained why he had taken a hard stance against the Dominion with his "no quarter" policy: in his view the Dominion only respected strength so he needed to utterly crush their resolve so they would acknowledge defeat. The Iron Imperator had denied Mia's request to join him in Drizzlewood as he had entrusted Mia to fight wars on other front lines while he was away. He pointed out to Malice that the charr had become more divided than ever before after splitting into the Dominion and United Legions, and that Bangar's victory and subjecting the charr to Jormag would end the charr race as they knew it, which Smodur could not allow. The Iron Imperator had worked hard on the Ebonhawke Treaty, claiming credit for it without realizing Malice's subtle contributions to it, as he wanted the charr to embrace a brighter future with himself as the rightful, visionary Khan-Ur.

Jormag Rising

For several weeks, Ryland remained unseen by Malice's agents in the Dominion. By the time the ice blocking access to northern Drizzlewood Coast mysteriously retreated, the legions managed to take over a hidden alcove within the mountains with help from Malice's moles in the Dominion and use it as a forward base for their push north. Smodur eventually took his heavy artillery to support them, establishing a foothold for United Legion forces.

The legions were joined by Braham Eirsson who left the camp to investigate old ruins deeper in the cave. Smodur believed that whatever scouting the Commander and Braham were attempting to do was a waste of time and that his artillery would let the legions walk through the front gate of Bangar's Frost Citadel—where more Frost Legion were being converted to speed up Jormag's awakening and which appeared to confirm that Bangar had fallen under the Ice Dragon's influence. When Smodur boasted that no flame shield would stand between him and Ryland in their next confrontation, Crecia grimly agreed as she had come to regret alienating Ryland via protecting Smodur.

Braham and Smodur ended up disagreeing with the best approach to take on the upcoming assault on the Frost Citadel as they attended a strategy meeting. Braham preferred communing with the Spirits of the Wild to open an unguarded, enchanted back door into the heavily fortified citadel and take out Bangar with a surprise attack from behind, while Smodur wanted the full force of the legions to attack the Dominion, the Frost Legion and Bangar's new icebrood and Sons of Svanir allies head on to crush the enemy's resolve.

Smodur had calmed down and felt more confident since his victories in southern Drizzlewood, and he admitted that he would have considered Braham's plan if the norn had already managed to open the enchanted door. However, in the Iron Imperator's view every second they argued and waited for Braham to succeed in his attempted rituals allowed Bangar to get closer to his goal of waking up Jormag. When various officers raised concerns about falling into Bangar's trap if they focused on a frontal assault, Smodur reminded everyone present that the Iron Legion had been fighting wars for a long time and would be ready to face whatever trickery the rogue Blood Imperator had in mind for them.

After consulting with various people on what approach to take, the Commander faced Crecia who wanted to know the Commander's opinion on the best strategy. However, the meeting came to a sudden halt when Smodur was shot in the head. The assassin turned out to be Ryland who had waited for a clear shot while hiding in an alcove above the cave and who sent Frost Legion and Sons of Svanir to attack the United Legion personnel below via portals. Although the legions and the Commander thwarted the enemy assault, Ryland managed to flee, leaving the legions to take in what had happened.

Legacy

The United Legions did not have time to mourn Smodur as they focused on stopping Bangar. Although the rogue Blood Imperator was ultimately captured after the Frost Citadel and the Dominion had fallen, the legions were too late to stop Jormag from awakening, turning Ryland into its new champion and taking the Frost Legion with it to strengthen its icebrood horde. Smodur had trusted his second-in-command Mia Kindleshot, and she ultimately succeeded him as the new Iron Imperator.

Despite his progressive ideas and his crucial role in setting up the Ebonhawke Treaty, Smodur's brutal actions in the charr civil war left him with a controversial reputation among charr. Some would remember him as a diplomatic visionary forging a truce between charr and humans, while others would remember him as a ruthless leader who was holding the charr back and was willing to go to any lengths to claim the title of Khan-Ur for himself once the opportunity had been presented to him.

Locations

Ascalon

• Black Citadel
  • Imperator's Core
    • The Command Core
      • The War Council

• Grothmar Valley
  • Iron Legion Camp
    • Santia's Forge

Shiverpeak Mountains

• Drizzlewood Coast
  • Legions' Alcove
    • United Legions Forward Camp (until A Simple Negotiation)
  • Umbral Grotto
    • Pavilion of the Legions
  • Wolf's Crossing (During related events only)

Story involvement

Personal story

• Chapter 1: Getting the Band Back Together
  • Scrapyard Dogs
• Chapter 2: Sins of the Father
  • Tribunes in Effigy

Living World Season 1

• Episode 1: Flame and Frost
  • New Friends, New Enemies

Living World Season 1 (historical)

• Episode 3: Flame and Frost: The Razing
  • Rox: Critical Mission

Living World Season 2

• Episode 3: The Dragon's Reach, Part 1
  • Plan of Attack (as Imperator Smodur the Unflinching)
• Episode 4: The Dragon's Reach, Part 2
  • The World Summit (as Imperator Smodur the Unflinching)

The Icebrood Saga

• Prologue: Bound by Blood
  • Coming Home
  • Revels & Rivals
  • A Race to Arms
• Episode 3: No Quarter
  • Pointed Parley
  • Snapping Steel
  • Distract, Destroy, Distrust
  • Turnabout
• Episode 4: Jormag Rising
  • Wrench in the Works
  • A Simple Negotiation

Event involvement

[Group Event] Defeat Vishen, Nicabar, and Ranoah, and seize control of the bridge (80)

Combat abilities

Abilities

• Iron Legion Imperator

Skills

•   Slash - Bleed your foe with a slash.
•   Roar - Let out a battle roar, giving might and fury to nearby allies.
•   Throw Axe - Throw an axe that cripples foes, dealing bonus damage at lower health thresholds.

Dialogue

Black Citadel

In the Command Core

You don't belong here, <character race>. Move along, before I call a guard, or better yet, toss you out myself.

Moving along. Here I go. Sorry.

When completing Smodur's Blessing with the warclaw mount

Nice mount.

Why, thank you.

When attempting to sit on Smodur's throne

Smodur the Unflinching doesn't move as you approach his chair, but you feel his eyes[sic] on you. The guards start reaching for their rifles.

This seems like a bad idea.

Drizzlewood Coast

You have your assignment. Every minute you waste brings the Dominion closer to winning.

Got it.

Gallery

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  Smodur, Rytlock Brimstone, Crecia Stoneglow, and Efram Greetsglory ponder their next move in the No Quarter trailer.

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  Ryland Steelcatcher glares at Crecia Stoneglow after she shields Smodur from his attack in Turnabout.

Related achievements

• Quip III: Chaos Gun: Prank Smodur — Prank Smodur the Unflinching in the Black Citadel by throwing a Confetti Pouch at him.
• Chairs of the World: Ruler's Throne
• World vs World Warclaw: Smodur's Blessing — Speak with the Black Citadel's leader while mounted. (1)
• Prologue: Bound by Blood: Meet Your Imperator (0)
• No Quarter: Master Diplomat — Find a balance between Malice and Smodur by not favoring one over the other during the war council. (5)

Notes

• Smodur wears Dreadnought Spaulders, Forgeman Breastplate, Heavy Plate Gauntlets, Dreadnought Tassets, and Forgeman Greaves.

Trivia

• Smodur is voiced by Liam O'Brien.
• The track "Smodur the Unflinching" is named after him on the Guild Wars 2 Official Soundtrack.
• Smodur's name is featured in common charr phrases such as "[By] Smodur's [missing] eye", and "By Smodur's guns."

See also

• Imperator Correspondence
• Sword of Smodur

Associated items

• Blade of the Iron Imperator
• Handcrafted Smodur's Charge
• Smodur's Charge